JOHN PODHORETZ: All these debates were a disaster for the GOP. “The debates were worse than a waste of time. They were a self-destructive exercise.”

But there’s a bright-side: “So the race may be coming down to a one-term Massachusetts governor who can’t close the sale with more than a quarter of Republicans after running nonstop since 2007 and a two-term Pennsylvania senator who lost his last election by 18 points. And you know what? If things are pretty much as they are today come Election Day in November, either one of those guys will beat Obama handily. At least they will have had a lot of debate experience.”